Automotive manufacturers have traditionally offered spare tires with the fleet of vehicles they produce. In the early days of automobiles the spare tire was mounted externally on either the running board or on a rear-mounted tire carrier of a vehicle. To comply with advances in styling the spare tire was concealed, most typically being moved inside the vehicle's trunk. While this arrangement provided a suitable solution for placement of the spare tire for decades, changes in fuel economy requirements dictated the need for vehicle weight reduction. Manufacturers reviewed the vehicle anew in its entirety seeking ways to reduce vehicle weight. One answer to the effort to reduce overall vehicle weight was to replace the conventional, large and bulky road tire with a smaller temporary tire or “donut.”
While the spare tire represents a significant decrease in overall vehicle weight, the further improvement in tire design and durability as well as the concurrent general improvement in roadways gradually began to reduce the need for relying on a spare tire at all.
In response to these advances in both tire technology and road quality, vehicle auto manufacturers have begun to substitute a spare tire for a “temporary mobility kit” (or “TMK”). The TMK includes a dual-purpose air compressor and a sealing system. The sealing system includes a sealing compound that will effectively seal most punctures caused by nails or similar objects. The air compressor drives the sealing compound into the compromised tire and subsequently, can be used to reinflate the tire. The growing trend today is for manufacturers to equip the vehicle with a temporary mobility kit within a space provided in the vehicle, such as in the spare tire well of the trunk.
While providing clear advantages over the spare tire such as weight reduction as well as providing the vehicle operators with a practical alternative over the demands of tire changing, the development of temporary mobility kits is in a continuing state of development.